10:58 am: First day of polling on April 7 in two states. Second date of polling will be on April 9, 2014which will cover five states.

10:57 am: Photo voter slips to be introduced in the Lok Sabha elections.

STATE-WISE LISTOF ELECTION DATESArunachal Pradesh: April 9Assam: April 7, 12 and 24Bihar: April 10, 17, 24, 30, May 7 and 12Chhattisgarh: April 10, 17, 24Goa: April 17Gujarat: April 30Haryana: April 10Himachal Pradesh: May 7J&K: april 10, 17, 24, 30, may 7Jharkhand: April 10, 17, 24Karnataka: April 17Kerala: April 10MP: April 10, 17, 24Maharashtra: April 10, 17 24Manipur: April 9, 17Meghalaya: April 9Mizoram: April 9Nagaland: April 9Odisha: April 10, 17Punjab: April 30Rajasthan: April 17, 24Sikkim: April 12Tamil Nadu: April 24Tripura: April 7 and 12Uttar Pradesh: April 10, 17, 24, 30, May 7 and 12Uttarkhand: May 7West Bengal: April 17, 24, 30, May 7, 12Andaman and Nicobar Islands: April 10Chandigarh: April 12Dadra and Nagar Haveli: April 12Daman and Diu: April 30Lakshwadeep: April 10Puducherry: April 24

10:55 am: Series of measures taken to monitor poll expenditure: Sampat.

10:55 am: Conduct of election officials will remain under constant scrutiny, they must be impartial.

10:54 am: We have great pleasure in announcing the process of 16th Lok Sabha, yet another milestone in Indian history: CEC VS Sampat.

10:51 am: 9,30,000 polling stations in the country.

10:50 am: NOTA facility will be provided in the Lok Sabha elections.

10:48 am: Elections will be held in phased manner in critical states.

10:47 am: People living in vulnerable areas will be given adequate protection.

10:45 am: Election Commission mandated to complete the election process to the 16th Lok Sabha before May 31.

10:40 am:Term of 15th Lok Sabha ends on May 31, terms of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim assemblies also come to an end: CEC VS Sampath.

The much-awaited schedule for the Lok Sabha polls will be announced by the Election Commission on Wednesday, with which the Model Code of Conduct for governments and political parties will come into force.

The schedule will be announced at a press conference at the Vigyan Bhawan by Chief Election Commissioner V. S. Sampath along with two Election Commissioners H. S. Brahma and SNA Zaidi.

Polling is likely to commence from the second week of April and may be spread over six to seven phases, the longest so far, sources said. The probable dates for the commencement of polling are between April 7 and 10, Election Commission ( EC) sources said. As of now, the plan is to have the voting exercise involving an electorate of 81 crore in six to seven phases. The 2009 polls were held in five phases from April 16 to May 13.

The term of the current Lok Sabha expires on June 1, and the new House has to be constituted by May 31. Along with the Lok Sabha election, Andhra Pradesh, including the regions comprising Telangana, Odisha and Sikkim will go to polls to elect new Assemblies.

It could be the first time the country witnesses elections over such a long period.

Sources said the attempt is to maximise the use of security forces. In the first phase, polling is expected to be held in some of the Maoist insurgency - hit states and in some northeastern states.

An estimated 81.4 crore voters will be eligible to vote in the coming elections with 9.71 crore new voters being added to the rolls since the last elections. The electoral rolls are ready after being updated with January 1 as the cut- off date.

A total of 1.1 crore poll personnel, half of security personnel, will be deployed to ensure a free and fair poll. The database of the civilian staff to be deployed for conducting the polls has been prepared and at least 5.5 million civilians would be deployed.

The elections will be held over nine poll days spread over the two months

April 7: Two states (six constituencies)April 9: Five states (seven constituencies)April 10: 14 states (92 constituenciesApril 12: Four states (32 constituencies)April 17: 13 states (122 constituencies)April 24: 12 states (117 constituencies)April 30: Nine states and UT (89 constituencies)May 7: Seven states (64 constituencies)May 12: Three states (41 constituencies)May 16: Counting of votes

For the first time in parliamentary polls, a system of paper trail for electronic voting will be introduced in some constituencies on a trial basis. A paper trail would help in avoiding controversies in case of a dispute.

The EC has also issued guidelines to political parties asking them to explain the rationale of financing the promises they make in their election manifestos.

The guidelines that followed the SC's directions in this regard have now been made a part of the Model Code.

From the coming elections, candidates in a parliamentary constituency in bigger states can spend up to Rs 70 lakh on their campaign, up from Rs 40 lakh in 2011. In the 2009 elections, it was Rs 25 lakh. Another first in the Lok Sabha elections will be the introduction of the 'None of the Above' option, which came into vogue in the Assembly elections a few months ago.